


Las Filibusteras

by villea amor (inkwellAnomaly)



Category: Noli Me Tangere & Related Works - José Rizal
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:34:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23074039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkwellAnomaly/pseuds/villea%20amor
Summary: A female-driven AU of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.Follow the #LasFilibusteras movement on Twitter!
Relationships: Crisostmo Ibarra & Maria Clara, Maria Clara/Salome (Noli Me Tangere & Related Works), Paulita Gomez/Juanito Pelaez
Kudos: 4





	1. Hawakan Mo Ako, O Mahal Ko

_Prologue_

  * It’s night. A young man gets off from his carriage, and gazes at the magnificent houses facing the town square of San Lazaro. Most magnificent is the house of Capitan Tiago, his distant relative. His name is Aurelio, an intellectual who studied in Europe for seven years before being called back to the Philippines to settle Tiago’s estate, being the only heir as Tiago has no children.
  * Some exposition on Aurelio. He was found abandoned in a church at the Sta. Clara convent, where he was raised by the nuns there. Eventually, he impressed his godfather, the intellectual Padre Damaso, so much that he was able to go abroad to study.
  * On the way there, he sees a beggar asking for alms. Moved by compassion, he gives her his golden locket. He then proceeds inside the house, where there’s a party to welcome him.
  * His aunt Isabel is there to receive him. She informs him of what’s transpired while he was gone: essentially, not much. Aurelio’s childhood friend Cris arrives, and greets him warmly. He says Aurelio’s gotten more handsome while he was away, while Aurelio counters that he himself has always been goodlooking. They banter a little, as per their dynamic since they were children.
  * There are other people at the party: Cris’ mother Doña Leona, his cousin the cheery Sinang, the town alferez Señor Tranquilino, Padre Damaso (apparently being transferred there as a parish priest). Absent is Tiago’s wife Doña Pia, whom Isabel claims is ill. Aurelio says he’ll visit her sometime soon to discuss things.
  * Aurelio looks around, and sees everyone’s smiles. He thinks to himself how blessed he is.



_Act 1_

  * The scene opens on the town graveyard on All Soul’s Day. The town lunatic, Sisang Baliw, greets passerby, speaking in riddles. She babbles and sings to herself, visiting the grave of her late husband Pedro.
  * Aurelio is there as well, standing in front of Tiago’s grave. He’s not sure how to feel, not really having known Tiago. He has no memories of him, fond or otherwise.
  * Sisang Baliw catches sight of Aurelio, and ambles toward him. She looks him in the eye (he gets a bit nervous) and advises him to be like the kalachuchi trees decorating the graveyard, able to bloom and even rise from the dead.
  * Before Aurelio can ask what she means, she waves it off and says she’s going home to the forest to cook for her sons, as it’s getting dark.
  * Señor Tranquilino is with his soldiers, the guardia civil, at the barracks. He muses how beautiful the sharecropper Tales’ daughter Lucia is becoming. He says he wants her for himself. One of the soldiers suggests having Tales arrested to entice Lucia to the barracks.



_Act 2_

  * Several days later, Tales ends up getting arrested over a minor offense. He’s detained, and news spreads amongst the townspeople. Tranquilino waits for Lucia, and is instead surprised to see Lucia’s grandmother Trinidad show up instead. Trinidad is cordial with him, and then brings up how she’s worried about her close friend Sisa.
  * Tranquilino breaks a sweat. He knows Sisang Baliw to be an albularyo, and fears her supposed magical powers. However, he doesn’t budge.
  * Trinidad excuses herself, resolving to go home. She’s quite sickly, and decides she’ll need some of Sisa’s herbal treatment. Her granddaughter Juliana waits for her at the town’s outskirts, and tells her she was just in the middle of solving her playmate Crispin’s riddle. Trinidad is very fond of her.
  * They arrive at a set of huts at the edge of the forest. Basilio welcomes Trinidad home, and says his mother just went deeper into the forest to gather fruit.
  * Some exposition: Sisa’s mother died when she was a child, hence Trinidad taking Sisa in and caring for her. Trinidad lost her own daughter after she gave birth to her second child (Juliana), so she sees Sisa as her daughter in a way. Sisa’s sons Basilio and Crispin are Juliana’s playmates. Juliana’s elder sister Lucia gets along with them as well, but she’s older by a considerable amount and is more of the solitary type like her father.
  * Lucia arrives home, complaining that she was unsuccessful in hunting. Trinidad notes that she inherited Tales’ sharpshooting, making her excellent with a musket.



_Act 3_

  * Aurelio’s project has been approved. There’s a bricklaying ceremony for the new convent house, attended by the town’s influential people.
  * Just as Aurelio is putting the cornerstone, she’s almost killed in an “accident” orchestrated by the derrick operator. When Aurelio comes to, he sees the beggar from before. She introduces herself as Salome, and warns him of hidden enemies before disappearing back into the agitated crowd.
  * At lunch soon after, Tranquilino gets drunk on wine and insults the late Tiago for being so weak-willed. He moves on to insult Padre Damaso as well, when suddenly Aurelio is upon him, knife in hand. He’s taken aback, and threatens to have him arrested.
  * Cris breaks up the fight, and tearfully asks Aurelio to calm down, apologizing to Tranquilino on his behalf. Tranquilino accepts.
  * Later that afternoon, Cris becomes ill. His mother Doña Leona is away; he’s been entrusted in the care of her best friend Doña Pia Alba, whom he finds terrifying. Doña Pia calls over a doctor from Manila, the kooky Dra. Torina (obviously a quack). 
  * While Cris is ill, Tranquilino visits, assuring him that he’s calmed down. As a token of goodwill, he introduces him to his niece, the beautiful Linea. Cris is a bit shocked, and Linea advances upon him.



_Act 4_

  * It’s two days after the incident. Padre Damaso visits Aurelio, worried out of his mind. He considers Aurelio to be a son to him, as he worked as an overseer at the Sta. Clara convent where Aurelio grew up. Aurelio asks him how Cris is, and Damaso relates how he’s still sick.
  * Later that day, Doña Leona arrives. As she’s been helped by Sisang Baliw before, she has him transferred to the forest for treatment. On the way there, he’s escorted by Juliana. Cris converses with Juliana, asking her if she’s afraid of being alone. She says no, saying her big sister Lucia is always watching out for her anyway, and that she can scare away the bad guys.
  * At the barracks, a certain woman visits Tranquilino. She asks if the plan is ready for execution. He says yes. 
  * The woman is Doña Pia. She wants Aurelio out of the town.



_Act 5_

  * Salome is waiting for Aurelio at the lakeside. She lives there in a modest hut.
  * They go out onto the lake, where no one can eavesdrop. Aurelio asks Salome why she’s been helping him thus far, assuring her that her help is worth more than that golden locket. Aurelio asks what she wants, and she says she desires revolution and change.
  * Aurelio counters that change can only happen when people get along and work together. Salome tells him this is clearly not the case. Aurelio asks her to explain.
  * Salome tells her sad tale: she was born the daughter of a bandit. She had a lover, Elias, who was the son of a prostitute. They fell in love, but one day her father’s past caught up with him, and he was arrested. Elias tried to defend him, and the two died in the ensuing scuffle with the authorities. Salome was only spared because she was a woman.
  * Aurelio apologizes for misjuding Salome. They return to the shore and part ways.



_Act 6_

  * It’s been a week. Aurelio is having dinner with Doña Leona, discussing Cris’ condition.. She opens up about her late husband Don Rafael, and how she’s been working hard to manage his estates and the people he left behind. Apparently the Ibarra’s are one of the richest families in the province, and that a lot of people are counting on them. She advises him to be charitable as well, as he’s inheriting Capitan Tiago’s fortune and estate.
  * Shots ring out in the street. Someone shouts, “Long live Aurelio de los Santos!”, before there’s what appears to be pushback from the guardia civil. Doña Leona advises Aurelio to flee.
  * Aurelio gets back home, where Salome is waiting. He asks her what to do, and she advises him to hide out with one of her friends in Manila while she stays and delays the authorities.
  * Aurelio packs his things - mostly his precious belongings, such as a rosary from Padre Damaso and a picture of Cris. However, just as he’s leaving, the guardia civil arrive and arrest him. Salome hides within the house.
  * After they leave, Salome sets fire to the empty house, destroying any evidence that could implicate Aurelio.



_Act 7_

  * Aurelio is put on trial. The justice of the peace sentences him to jail, and he’s set to be transferred to a prison in Manila. On the way there, the townspeople mock and scorn him, blaming him for the trouble he’s caused them. Sisang Baliw is there with Basilio, looking shocked.
  * In the forest, Cris is weeping. He’s comforted by Juliana and Crispin. Crispin offers to tell him a riddle to cheer him up, while Juliana makes him a doll out of leaves.
  * Lucia arrives. She tells Juliana to come with her. With the guardia civil being spread out due to transferring Aurelio, they have a chance to break their father out of jail. Cris is shocked, and Lucia affirms that she’ll get violent if he tries to stop her.



_Act 8_

  * It’s night. Cris is back home in Manila, having recovered. He’s still spurring the advances of Linea, who seems set on getting married to him. The kooky Dra. Torina also visits, asking after him. He pays them no mind.
  * He’s there on his balcony, pondering the recent events.
  * Aurelio arrives with Salome - apparently Salome busted him out of prison. Cris tells Aurelio that they should just run away and live like brothers abroad, as he’s never been to Europe.
  * Aurelio says he can’t have Cris get caught up in his misfortune. He reveals himself to be a woman, Maria Clara, and confesses her love for Cris, although they can never be together.
  * Recap on Maria Clara - after Doña Pia had an affair with Padre Damaso, she gave birth to her child in secret, entrusting the baby to Damaso. Damaso brought Maria Clara to the Sta. Clara convent, and the sisters there agreed to pretend that Maria Clara was a foundling, raising her on their own. When she became of age, they sponsored her studies in Europe, on one condition - Maria Clara disguise herself as a man, Aurelio, so as not to attract attention. Maria Clara agreed, hence her philosophy of just making sure everyone gets along.
  * Cris (predictably) faints. Maria Clara tells Salome they should leave before they’re found.
  * While they’re on the river, there’s gunshots from the guardia civil, who have found them out. Salome has Maria Clara hide under the hay, while she dives off of the boat as a diversion. Right before she does, she hands Maria Clara back her golden locket, saying she never had a debt to begin with.



_Act 9_

  * It’s midnight. Juliana has chased her father deep into the forest, to the supposed grave of Capitan Tiago’s wealthy grandmother Doña Jacinta. When Juliana and Lucia busted him out of jail, he had already gone insane, and fled from them. Then, the guardia civil arrived - Lucia had Juliana chase after Tales while she fought off the guardia civil with her musket.
  * Tales dies from exhaustion in Juliana’s arms, but not before having a moment of lucidity and telling her goodbye. Juliana weeps.
  * A stranger approaches. Juliana asks who she is, and the stranger (Salome) reveals that she’s dying, asking Juliana if Aurelio has arrived yet. Salome instructs her to build a pyre and burn her corpse.
  * Juliana leaves to gather firewood. By the time she’s come back, Salome is dead, and there’s a new stranger - she looks like a man with her short hair. The other stranger introduces herself as Maria Clara, and recalls that she’s Tales’ daughter Juliana. Maria Clara digs for Doña Jacinta’s hoard of priceless jewels and gold. Maria Clara hands some to Juliana, telling her to study - in Manila, if she can.
  * Juliana asks her where she’s going. She says she’s going to go somewhere far away, get rich, and then come back to get revenge on everyone who’s caused her grief. Before she leaves, she asks Juliana to call her by her new name - Jacinta del Fuego.



_Epilogue_

  * Sisang Baliw comes home from gathering herbs deep in the forest. Crispin is crying - he can’t find Basilio, Juliana or Lucia, and Trinidad died in her sleep earlier that day. He’s shaken.
  * Lucia shelters herself in a cave, and greets her comrades - disgruntled men and women from all over the province. They greet her in return, not as Lucia, but as Dimasupil the Bandit Queen.
  * Cris weeps at the news of Aurelio’s death. Doña Pia visits him, asking him if he would like to meet with Linea. Cris breaks down, and tells Doña Pia what he’s learned. Doña Pia herself is in shock - she didn’t realize that Aurelio was the child she abandoned long ago. Cris says he’d rather be a priest than get married to Linea. He does, against his mother’s wishes.
  * At Dra. Torina’s house, Linea meets with her. They’re revealed to be sisters. Linea says the letters and documents forged by their cousin, the lady-lawyer Doña Orang, were no good. She wants to protect her illegitimate child Paulita, whom she’s about to give birth to. Dra. Torina says she has a plan.
  * The ex-priest Mariano Florentino reflects on the recent events. He briefly sheltered an old friend at the seminary, had a love affair with her, oversaw the entrance of a new recruit (Cris), and left the seminary himself to propose to his former lover Linea. They got married soon after, and settled in his hometown of Pili.
  * He has a new problem. A baby boy has shown up at the door of the town’s church. Mariano found him, and discovered a letter in the basket holding the boy. The letter tells him that the child is his. It’s signed: Jacinta del Fuego.




	2. Las Eskandalosas

_ Chapter 1 _

  * It’s night. Dimasupil the Bandit Queen, terror of Batangas, returns to her cave lair. It’s another successful raid. Her real name is Lucia de Dios, the eldest daughter of Cabesang Tales.
  * The steamship Magayon makes its way to the town of San Lazaro, sailing along the Pasig River. On deck, the wealthy passengers discuss the various legends surrounding the River, such as the seditious intellectual Aurelio being killed along the lake.
  * Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of a woman in a bright red dress, wearing a rose. She introduces herself as Jacinta del Fuego, a Mexican painter and dancer. The guests are in awe. Among them is Paulita Florentino, a socialite and art lover, and her brother Isagani, a poet.
  * Below deck, the students Agostino Makaraig and Juli de Dios attempt to convince their former professor, the lawyer Doña Orang, to support their proposed feminist association being spearheaded by Paulita. Orang has doubts, claiming that women in this country will always be oppressed. She leaves.
  * Agostino is disappointed. Juli tries to cheer him up, saying that he can at least spend time with Paulita. It’ll give him an edge over Juanito and Tadeo, his rivals for Paulita’s heart.
  * Agostino asks in turn about Basilio. Juli says he’s spending the holidays with Paulita’s aunt Dra. Torina, his mentor and mother figure. Some backstory: after Juliana fled to Manila, Basilio did as well, and the two reunited. Basilio told her that there was a freak storm and a flood, which killed his mother, Sisang Baliw, and separated him from his brother Crispin.



_ Chapter 2 _

  * Juli and Paulita walk through the forest. Paulita is upset that her dress is getting soiled, and Juli brushes it off - it’s just their dynamic. Dra. Torina took Juli in as a servant, although treating her like a daughter. Paulita’s mother, Doña Linea, died when she was young, causing Dra. Torina to take her in as well. The two were raised together, and act like sisters.
  * They arrive at the grave of Doña Jacinta, Capitan Tiago’s wealthy grandmother. Juli pays her respects to her father Cabesang Tales, who’s buried there. She weeps, and Paulita comforts her. They depart from the forest and head back to town.
  * In Batangas, the young student Crisanto enters Dimasupil’s lair. Before she can kill him, he raises up a ring with a kalachuchi insignia. Dimasupil recognizes it, and pulls out a ring just like it. She confirms that he is Crispin, the son of Sisang Baliw. They were childhood friends a long time ago.
  * Orang arrives in her hometown of Pili, which is near San Lazaro. She’s welcomed home by her young niece Cecilia. Orang remarks on how big she’s gotten (she was only a baby the last time she saw her). Cecilia explains that she’s learned how to read and write, and she’s quite proud of the fact. Orang says she’s impressed, and tells her she’s a prodigy just like her.
  * Orang is there to settle the estate of her late sister, Cecilia’s mother Capitana Barang.



_ Chapter 3 _

  * In Manila, Dra. Torina and Basilio celebrate Christmas together. Torina worries about Paulita, while Basilo says she’ll be fine, as Juli is with her. They discuss Juli - despite her gentle exterior she’s a fighter, having gotten into numerous brawls with men. Because of this, Dra. Torina had to transfer her to a different convent school.
  * Meanwhile, Tadeo, Juanito and the dancer Pepay visit Pepay’s friend Matea. Matea is the mistress of Don Pasta, a government official. Apparently, the Governor-General assigned Don Pasta to do a study on the feasibility of the feminist association. They give Matea fine jewelry and chocolates, in the hopes that she’ll influence Pasta to approve the association.
  * Back in San Lazaro, Paulita hosts a banquet, inviting over the socialites of the town. Among them is Doña Sinang, Aurelio’s close friend. Her husband owns a shipmaking company, which she manages, making them both very wealthy.
  * Paulita asks for support from Sinang, who asks her why she’s so intent on starting the association. Paulita explains it was the dear wish of her mother, and she’d like to see it through.
  * Meanwhile, in the neighboring town of Tulig, Isagani visits his father Don Mariano Florentino. As he’s quite old, he’s bedridden and has been sick for a long time. They both know he doesn’t have that much time left. Isagani begs him to stay alive just a little longer, as Paulita’s about to succeed. Mariano begins convulsing, and tells Isagani with his dying breath a secret: his true mother is Jacinta.



_ Chapter 4 _

  * Orang has returned to her office in Manila. She’s vacating it, as she’s permanently moving to Pili to take care of Cecilia. She crosses paths with her boss and former rival Don Pasta, who gloats about how he’ll always be better than her. She retorts that the Governor-General only favored him because he’s a man, and that he associates with the friars. He gets steamed, and storms off.
  * Late at night, Juli tends to the elderly Mother Superior of the Sta. Clara convent. Just as she does, Jacinta arrives, shocking Juli. Even more shocked is the Mother Superior, who recognizes Jacinta as her long-lost daughter. She weeps, and says she’s missed her before falling unconscious. Juli checks her pulse - it’s getting faint. Jacinta is overwhelmed and leaves, while Juli rushes to call one of the other sisters. The Mother Superior is Doña Pia Alba, the mother of Maria Clara.
  * Meanwhile, out in the streets, Crispin and Placido convene with Orang. They tell her they’ve successfully recruited Dimasupil for their revolution. Orang is pleased, and tells them she’ll inform Jacinta immediately.



_ Chapter 5 _

  * Thanks to Matea, Don Pasta approves the proposed feminist association. The government will give them a stipend for a modest publication, provided that they don’t publish anything seditious. Paulita is beyond pleased, and decides to hold a banquet at Dra. Torina’s mansion to celebrate. She invites the Governor-General, Don Pasta and the prominent friars to her party, and out of politeness they accept. She’s also recently befriended Jacinta, who agrees to perform a dance at the party.
  * After a week, the party pushes through as planned. It’s lively, and the guests seem to enjoy themselves - even the friars. Among them is the meek Padre Ibarra. He expresses to Paulita and Isagani his condolences at the death of Don Mariano, which they accept. They’re still mourning, and Paulita threw the party partially to cheer Isagani up.
  * In the kitchens, Makaraig, Tadeo and Juanito all discuss their planned wedding proposals. Apparently, they’re all going to propose to Paulita that night, hoping she’ll say yes to one of them due to being in high spirits. Each of them proclaim that they’ll be the one Paulita chooses.
  * Just then, Placido bursts in, asking them why they’re there. Juanito tells him of their plans to propose, and Placido gets frustrated, telling them to leave the mansion now. As Tadeo asks why, and Placido says there’s no time to explain - something bad is going to happen, and they have to get out. They flee.
  * In the ballroom, the guests are eagerly anticipating Jacinta’s performance. One of the servants passes Padre Ibarra a note, and he excuses himself. San Lazaro’s former alferez, Tranquilino (now a corporal) finds a letter under his plate.
  * The letter tells him that the country is rotten and wounded, and that only a flame can cauterize the wound. It’s signed Jacinta del Fuego. Tranquilino laughs, dismissing Jacinta as an eccentric, until he says he recognizes the handwriting. He starts panicking.
  * The Governor-General demands to know what’s going on, and commotion ensues. Apparently, Tranquilino recognizes the handwriting - it’s of Aurelio, who’s supposedly dead. The lights turn off.



_ Chapter 6 _

  * Paulita wakes up with a start. She’s bound, and in a speeding carriage. Sitting opposite to her is Padre Ibarra, similarly bound. Before she can say anything, the coachman speaks up, saying she’s taking them to a safe destination - Tanauan, Batangas.
  * Padre Ibarra remarks that it’s dangerous there, being the territory of Dimasupil. The coachman says exactly, as she’s there to visit the Bandit Queen. The coachman is Juli, and she’s learned through Jacinta that her sister Lucia is still alive. She declares her intention of reuniting with her, and makes the horses run even faster.
  * Crispin runs out of the party. On the streets, he encounters a familiar face - Basilio. He runs up to him, and the two joyfully reunite. Basilio asks him where he’s been all this time - Crispin tells him that, after the freak storm, he washed up on an island off the coast of Mindoro. He was taken in by the tailor Estrella, who recognized him as the son of her cousin Sisa. Crispin tells him he’ll explain more later, as they need to escape. Jacinta’s planted bombs in the house, and that it’s bound to explode any second now and kill everyone inside.
  * Tadeo, Makaraig, Juanito and Isagani all wake up below deck. Orang greets them, and so does little Cecilia. They ask her what’s going on, and she says they’re on a ship headed to Pili. Orang reveals that she’s been collaborating with Jacinta, and that she acted all pessimistic about the feminist association to throw off their suspicions. Cecilia pipes up, and says she helped her aunt forge all the documents they needed to smuggle illegal goods from Hong Kong and Mexico, coordinating with Jacinta’s connections.



_ Chapter 7 _

  * Jacinta and Paulita convene at the grave of Don Mariano on a cliff overlooking the sea. It’s been several months - Paulita is married to Juanito now, and it’s showing that she’s gotten pregnant. Jacinta gloats, saying she’s finally reunited with her love Cris and that she’s been successful in ridding the country of the horrible men who opposed its progress.
  * Paulita remarks that true progress should be done peacefully, and through ideas. Jacinta debates her, and Paulita realizes that, despite her cause, she’s actually evil. When Jacinta’s back is turned, Paulita runs up to her, and pushes her off the cliff and into the sea.



_ Chapter 8 _

  * Paulita is about to give birth. At her bedside is Juanito. Paulita asks him to hold her hand.
  * Cut to a few minutes after. The midwife exits the room, and tells Isagani that his sister is dead. Isagani rushes inside, and sees Juanito weeping over Paulita’s body. In her arms is a baby boy. Isagani decides to name the boy Manuel.



_ Chapter 9 _

  * It’s several years later. Cecilia is welcomed home by her maid, the pregnant Anday. She’s a student now, and is working hard to become a lawyer like her aunt.
  * She has mixed feelings about Jacinta’s revolution, but brushes them off as she has a lot of studying to do. However, she gives a passing thought to Juli and Basilio, who disappeared shortly after Paulita’s funeral. She wonders where they are.
  * Anday informs her that she’ll need to go away for a while, as she’s in the final stages of her pregnancy. Cecilia, cheerful as ever, asks Anday what she’s going to name her child. Anday says Jose if it’s a boy, and Josefa if it’s a girl. 
  * Anday explains that she wants to name it after her best friend, the late Pepay. Apparently they were both maids for Cecilia’s mother, but Pepay dreamed of becoming a dancer in Manila. To support her, Anday gave up her life savings so Pepay could travel to Manila while she stayed behind in Pili.
  * There’s a knock at the door. It’s Cecilia’s friend, the prodigy painter Regalado Lopez. She asks what he needs, and he asks if he can hire Anday on as a wet nurse, as his wife has recently died giving birth to their daughter Aureola. Cecilia says she and Anday will consider the request - Regalado says he’s desparate, and that he’ll do anything.



_ Epilogue _

  * October, 1941. The spinster Aureola Lopez bids her older siblings Manuel and Pepita goodbye after another visit. Unlike her, they're rich and successful. As per their usual dynamic, they’re bitter and cruel towards her. The narration wonders if they know the truth - that they’re illegitimate children, and that only Aureola is the true daughter of their father Don Regalado. 
  * Not having any other income, Aureola starts opening some rooms in the house for rent. A charming young man rents a room - the suave piano player, Benito Amores. The narration notes that he’s a descendant of Basilio and Juli, who eloped to the mountains and lived among the bandits there.




End file.
